Joe Palamara is vice-chair of the Wayne County Commission. A lifelong resident of the Downriver area, he is a 1971 graduate of Wyandotte Roosevelt High School and, in 2018, was inducted into his high school's Distinguished Graduate Hall of Fame. He attended Michigan State University on an Evans (caddy) Scholarship, and in 1975 he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in business. In 1985, Joe received his juris doctorate degree from the Detroit College of Law, and as a member of the State Bar of Michigan has been licensed to practice law in Michigan for more than 35 years.

While at Michigan State University, Joe was a walk-on member of the baseball team. In his senior year, Joe led the Spartans in hitting, received his team's Sportsmanship Award and was named to the All-Big Ten and All-America teams as a second baseman. He serves as a member of the Michigan Association of Counties Board of Directors and is a lifetime member of the Michigan State University Varsity Alumni Club.

The Democrat was first elected to serve Downriver residents as a state representative in 1984, and he served for seven terms in the Michigan House of Representatives until term limits first took effect. In 1998, Palamara was elected to the Wayne County Commission, where he now serves as vice-chairman of the Committee on Public Services, and also sits on the Economic Development Committee. He is an ardent champion of the Downriver communities in District 15, which include: Allen Park, Grosse Ile Township, Riverview, Southgate, Trenton and Wyandotte.

During his tenure as an elected official, he served as the Master of Ceremonies during President Bill Clinton's visit to Wyandotte. He has also served as a guest lecturer at the Detroit College of Law (now at Michigan State University) and at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.